Yahoo Claims 2013 Data Breach Affected 3 Billion Users

Yahoo used to be one of the internet darlings from back in the day when the internet was still relatively young. In fact one could almost say that Yahoo’s position and influence back in the day was similar to how Google is today, where the company’s services like email, news portal, and search engine was the default for many.

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Unfortunately in more recent years, Yahoo has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons, namely the various security breaches experienced by the company, like the one back in 2013 in which it was previously reported that 1 billion users had been affected. However it turns out that it might have been more, because Yahoo (now part of Oath) has since confirmed that 3 billion users (all of its users) might have been affected by it after all.

The announcement on Oath’s website reads, “Subsequent to Yahoo’s acquisition by Verizon, and during integration, the company recently obtained new intelligence and now believes, following an investigation with the assistance of outside forensic experts, that all Yahoo user accounts were affected by the August 2013 theft.” The company points out that this isn’t a new security issue, but an update of the previous one and that they have since sent out emails to remaining Yahoo account owners letting them know about it.

For those unfamiliar, Yahoo was acquired by Verizon earlier this year and Oath is a new brand formed that encompasses Yahoo and AOL. In a statement made by Chandra McMahon, Chief Information Security Officer, Verizon, “Verizon is committed to the highest standards of accountability and transparency, and we proactively work to ensure the safety and security of our users and networks in an evolving landscape of online threats. Our investment in Yahoo is allowing that team to continue to take significant steps to enhance their security, as well as benefit from Verizon’s experience and resources.”